Iran Vows Response To Dena Sinking As UN Calls For Aid Cargo To Transit Hormuz

The Iranian Army has vowed to retaliate against the US for the sinking of its frigate IRIS Dena in the Indian Ocean, even as a UN official asked Tehran to let a humanitarian air cargo ship pass through the blockaded Hormuz Strait.

In Tehran, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei charged the US, along with its allies, of not bringing peace and stability to West Asia by targeting Iran.

Iranian Army Seeks Revenge for IRIS Dena Sinking

Iranian Army chief Major General Amir Hatami said the IRIS Dena sinking by a US submarine on March 4, 2026, “will not go unanswered.”

The Iranian Army’s commander-in-chief condemned the attack on his nation’s newest warship that left over half of its 180-member crew dead, as it was returning home after participating in the Indian Navy-hosted maritime exercise off Visakhapatnam.

“The crew of the Dena destroyer had completed a peaceful mission and were targeted while on their way back to Iran,” Iranian state media IRNA quoted Hatami as saying.

He mentioned that the sailors were killed “despite not being engaged in a direct battle,” paying tributes to the IRIS Dena’s crew members.

“The name of Dena and the sacrifice of its crew will remain a symbol of courage and dedication in Iran’s naval history,” he said.

Affirming Iran’s resolve to seek revenge, Hatami said: “The army will defend Iran’s maritime borders and strengthen its naval power with even greater determination.”

Tehran Calls IRIS Dena Sinking a War Crime and Violation of Global Laws

In Tehran, Baghaei called the US submarine action on IRIS Dena a “war crime” and a violation of international laws, underlining that the Iranian people would not forget it.

The Iranian spokesperson claimed the US had deliberately obstructed the rescue operations for the drowning sailors.

The attack on IRIS Dena and the obstruction of rescue operations constituted an aggression under the UN General Assembly Resolution 3314, and a grave violation of the war laws, including the Geneva Convention II and Additional Protocol I, he said.

IRIS Dena was sunk by a US submarine that fired a torpedo at the frigate as it was sailing in international waters 20 nautical miles off the Sri Lankan coast on March 4.

The Indian Navy deployed INS Tarangini and INS Ikshak, along with P-8I maritime patrol aircraft, to assist the Sri Lanka-led search and rescue operations for the IRIS Dena sailors at sea.

Of the estimated 180 crew members on board the vessel, 87 sailors were reported dead, and another 32 survivors were rescued by the Sri Lankan Navy and admitted to hospitals in Galle.

US, Allies Brought No Peace or Stability to West Asia: Iran

Baghaei, in an interview with a Chinese news agency, said the US presence in West Asia and its alliance with other regional players brought no peace or stability to the region.

He said Iran was determined to defend itself against the “aggression” by the US and Israel, as the conflict continued to escalate over the last two weeks.

He said the attacks on Iran by the US-Israel alliance were “a breach of peace” and “could not be justified under any legal framework.”

“This act of aggression cannot be justified by any argument or rule of international law. It is a breach of peace, and the Iranian nation is resolute to defend itself as long as it takes,” Baghaei was quoted as saying.

“No person of common sense regards American authorities’ statements and remarks to be trustworthy, as they are not stable, change their words, and make contradictory remarks about every topic of international relations,” he said.

He also pointed out that Iran did not initiate the West Asian war. “It was the US war of choice. They were dragged into this war, perhaps by Israel, out of their miscalculation that they could easily make Iran surrender,” Baghaei said.

UN Request Passage for Humanitarian Aid Through Hormuz

Meanwhile, Tom Fletcher, a senior United Nations humanitarian services official, on Friday (March 13), called upon Tehran, Tel Aviv, and Washington to permit passage of aid cargo through the Strait of Hormuz, currently under an Iranian blockade.

These remarks by Fletcher, the UN under-secretary-general for humanitarian affairs and emergency relief coordinator, came after Iran threatened to close the narrow maritime choke point and had inflicted projective attacks on a few cargo ships that defied the warning and sailed through the Hormuz Strait.

“When routes close and costs surge, the help we can deliver shrinks; and the people who need it most are the ones who lose it first,” Fletcher said in a statement from New York.

“So my message to the parties to the conflict and all those with influence over them is simple: humanitarian cargo must be allowed to pass safely through the Strait of Hormuz,” he said.

“I am speaking directly with key parties, pressing for humanitarian supplies to be allowed to keep moving unobstructed through the Strait,” he added.